Trade deficit at record high
WASHINGTON -- America's trade deficit hit a record monthly high in January, the start of an election year in which Democrats hope to use the swollen trade gap and the loss of U.S. jobs as campaign issues against President Bush.

Neighbors: News, notes from Lincolnville ...
In the early 1900s, well-known black photographer Richard Aloysius Twine took some childhood shots of Dorothy Thornton playing with friends in the back yard of her home on 85 Bridge St.

Heart gala raises more than $124,000
Flagler Health Care Foundation Inc. raised more than $124,000 for the new James D. Conzemius Heart Center during its second annual gala, said Linda Bartimus, director of fund development.

Column of the Day: Bridge Results
Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the days of the annual Spring Sectional Bridge Tournament to be held at the St. Augustine Duplicate Bridge Club, 10 Fairbanks St. Two sessions a day begin at 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday. A free lunch will be served between sessions. Free snacks and beverages will be available throughout both days.

It's the wearing of the green Saturday for ballroom group
Traditional Irish dancing will be featured at the St. Augustine Ballroom Dance Association Saturday at the Riverview Club, when an "Erin go bragh evening" will be the theme. Dancing to the music of Frank Roberts Band will begin at 8 p.m.

News Notes
Read about news, meetings and upcoming events in St. Augustine.

Smile! There's a contest coming up
Polish up those pearly whites, and perfect that smile. Saturday, Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not Museum and Radio Disney AM 600, Jacksonville, are partnering to host the "Most Remarkable Smile Contest" at the St. Augustine attraction, 19 San Marco Ave.

Concert dedicated to memory of Ross
First Coast Opera will dedicate its upcoming performances of Mozart's "The Impresario" and Menotti's "The Telephone" to the memory of Emmanuel "Manny" Ross. The performances take place Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m. at Lightner Museum.

Sassy greens salad offers taste of spring
Maybe spring greens are not yet bursting out in your backyard. But if your winter-weary palate craves something fresh and tasty, asparagus and green cabbage are on the market and are among ingredients in these three recipes for salads mildly sparked with green pepper sauce.

Quick, easy, tasty catfish recipe
Catfish is a mild-flavored fish that can easily be combined with a wide range of seasonings, to ring the changes, to suit different tastes.

It's not just corned beef and cabbage ...
When we think of Irish food, as we do as the Leprechaun day approaches, everyone usually thinks of the traditional fare. If you ask 100 people on the street, you would get corn beef and cabbage, Irish stew or if you are a Lord of the Rings fan -- Irish soda bread. There is so much more to Irish food than just these basic food items.

Dr. Donohue: Vitamins might slow macular degeneration
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My doctor tells me I have the beginning of macular degeneration. I am completely depressed by this. My mother had it, and her last years were not happy ones. If I go blind, I don't know what I will do. I live alone and have no one to help me. Is there any treatment? -- G.K.

Researchers: Breast cancer drug better than tamoxifen
Tamoxifen, the celebrated drug credited with slashing breast cancer death rates worldwide, could be eclipsed by a newer medicine that is even more effective at preventing a recurrence of the disease in women whose tumors were caught early and removed.

Dreaded pest nearly wiped out in most of South
ALBANY, Ga. -- The boll weevil, the ravenous pest that dethroned cotton as the king of Southern crops, has been virtually wiped out across most of the region, thanks to a 20-year program largely funded by farmers.

Robotic legs could produce super troopers
BERKELEY, Calif. -- Move over Bionic Man and make room for BLEEX -- the Berkeley Lower Extremities Exoskeleton, with strap-on robotic legs designed to turn an ordinary human into a super strider.

Senate kills move to make tax cuts harder
WASHINGTON -- The Senate killed one move Tuesday to make it harder for Congress to approve tax cuts, but another effort was afoot that could imperil President Bush's drive to make his tax cuts permanent.

EchoStar yanks CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon off satellite service
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) -- EchoStar Communications Corp. pulled the plug on CBS programs in more than a dozen cities Tuesday and dropped MTV, Nickelodeon and other cable channels from its satellite network over a fee dispute with Viacom.

New pill helps people quit smoking, slim down
NEW ORLEANS -- A new pill in the final stages of testing shows promise in attacking two of humanity's biggest killers by helping people quit smoking and lose weight at the same time.

Sniper Muhammad sentenced to death
MANASSAS, Va. -- Sniper mastermind John Allen Muhammad was sentenced to death Tuesday by a judge who called the Washington-area shootings that left 10 people dead "so vile that they were almost beyond comprehension."

Kerry proposes tax cuts, calls GOP critics 'crooked, lying'
WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry called Wednesday for deeper tax cuts for the middle class than proposed by President Bush and described his Republican critics as "the most crooked ... lying group I've ever seen." The chairman of Bush's re-election campaign called on Kerry to apologize "for this negative attack."

Bill Clinton says he has no plans to seek office
NEW YORK -- Former President Clinton said Tuesday he has no plans to seek another elected office, preferring to remain in private life because having one Clinton in politics is "probably more than enough."

Bush, Kerry spar over jobs, trade
CLEVELAND -- President Bush, in a state hit by huge job losses, tried to deflect Democrats' attacks on his economic policies Wednesday by portraying John Kerry as an advocate of higher taxes and trade barriers that are "the enemy of job creation."

Teen sniper Malvo sentenced to life
CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- Teenage sniper Lee Boyd Malvo was sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday for an October 2002 killing spree in the Washington, D.C., area that left 10 people dead.

School Board to consider bond program
The St. Johns County School Board plans to vote tonight on whether to participate in a state bond program that would give the district $785,000 to help fund a new elementary school in the northwest.

Louella Day McConnell
The Fountain of Youth was discovered not by Ponce de Leon in 1513, but by an equally colorful character named Louella Day McConnell in 1909 while she was having a well dug on her North City property.

Head-on collision on Anastasia
Two cars collided head-on when a southbound Oldsmobile jumped a curb and smashed into a Saturn heading northbound on Anastasia Boulevard on Wednesday night, according to St. Augustine Police Officer Kevin Schmoll.

5,399 ballots cast in St. Johns County
St. Johns County Democrats came out in surprising force, casting 5,399 ballots in the Florida presidential primary, according to Supervisor of Elections Penny Halyburton.

Mega jackpot at $1.2 M
TALLAHASSEE (AP) -- No ticket matched the four winning numbers plus the Mega Ball number in the Mega Money game, meaning Friday's jackpot will be worth an estimated $1.2 million, the Florida Lottery said Wednesday.

Masters Drive called a hazard by School Board
St. Johns County commissioners Tuesday decided to act after reviewing a message from the School Board that called Masters Drive a "hazardous" road in light of a young bicyclist's recent death.

$80 M sought for road projects
TALLAHASSEE -- St. Johns County needs $80 million from the state to complete two of its top road priorities -- a State Road 312 bypass of U.S. 1 and an extension of State Road 9B into the northwest.

Irene Aloha Wright and Fort Mose
Women have played an important role in documenting the history of Fort Mose, the first free community of ex-slaves that was established in 1738 as the northern defense of St. Augustine.

For the Record
Members of the St. Johns River Crossing Corridor Study are scheduled to hold two public meetings to discuss their plans.

Secretary of State says primary went smoothly
TALLAHASSEE -- The state's chief elections official said Tuesday that voters have high confidence in the process, and with the help of the Legislature, Florida has come light years since 2000.

Modular construction is turning heads
Sparking a bit of curiosity in Lincolnville on Tuesday and Wednesday, a 120-ton crane lifted components of three small apartment buildings into place on one Cedar Street property.

Kerry pads delegate lead
CHICAGO (AP) -- John Kerry, with only phantom rivals and pushovers left in the Democratic race, easily won four Southern primaries Tuesday to bring him within striking distance of the presidential nomination.

Jack M. Wood
Jack M. Wood, 72, of St. Augustine, died March 5, 2004, at Flagler Hospital. He was a native of Florida and had lived in the Florida Keys and in Jacksonville before moving to St. Augustine in 1997. He was a veteran of Korea, serving in the U.S. Navy. He had owned a moving company, worked in real estate sales, and most recently worked as truck driver for Landstar Systems Inc. He was named "Driver of the Year" by the Florida Trucking Association and had worked to educate citizens through the "No Zone Program" sponsored by the Department of Transportation.

Joseph Calvin Lowe
Joseph Calvin Lowe Sr., 65, of St. Augustine, died March 6, 2004, at Flagler Hospital. He was a native of Florahome. and a resident here since 1945. He was a retired construction foreman/supervisor.

Harolynn Yvonne Gilliam
Harolynn Yvonne Gilliam, 51, of St. Augustine, died March 6, 2004, at Flagler Hospital. She was a native and lifelong resident of St. Augustine. She attended Richard J. Murray High School. She was a certified nursing assistant and a member of St. Paul A.M.E. Church.

Cheryl Reigger
Cheryl "Cheri" Reigger, 49, of St. Augustine, died March 8, 2004, in Jacksonville. She was born in Richlands, Va., and had moved to Jacksonville at an early age. She had been a resident here since 1996. She was a graduate of Englewood High School and had worked for Amtrak for 20 years, retiring as manager of the Ocala Office. She was a member of Riverdale Methodist Church and a member of A.A. at the Serenity Club on Old Dixie Highway here.

Billy Caroll Powell
Billy Caroll Powell, 69, of St. Augustine, died March 8, 2004, at his home. He was a native of Maquoketa, Iowa, and he worked in Scotty's Lumber yard.

Billy Caroll Powell
Billy Caroll Powell, 69, of St. Augustine, died March 8, 2004, at his home. He was a native of Maquoketa, Iowa, and he worked in Scotty's Lumber yard.

Helen Estelle McClung
Helen Estelle McClung, 76, of Gainesville and Ocala, died March 5, 2004, at Palm Harbor Nursing Home in Ocala. She was a former resident of St. Augustine, a Law Librarian and she was of the Catholic faith.

Death Elsewhere: Actor Robert Pastorelli, dead at 49
LOS ANGELES -- Robert Pastorelli, who played the screwball housepainter Eldin on "Murphy Brown," was found dead in his Hollywood Hills home in what the coroner's office said may have been a drug overdose. He was 49.

Claudia Ferraro
Claudia Ferraro, 55, of St. Augustine, died March 9, 2004, at her home. She was a native of Buffalo, N.Y., and had resided here since 1994. She was a nursing supervisor at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. She was of the Catholic faith.

Martha Clewis Perrin
Martha Clewis Perrin, 59, died of metastatic breast cancer Friday, March 5, 2004. She was born April 26, 1944, to Lucile Newberry and Lester Clewis in West Palm Beach. She attended the public schools of Palm Beach County and graduated from Florida State University in 1966 with a B.A. degree in English, cum laude. After college, she returned to teach high school English at her alma mater, Palm Beach High School, and thereafter worked for six years as an educational consultant for Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers. In 1973, she entered the University of Georgia School of Law, where she was a member of the staff of the International Law Journal. After graduation from law school in 1976, she joined the management labor and employment law firm, Ogletree Deakins, where she practiced as a partner her entire career. She was a member of the State Bars of Florida and Georgia and was admitted to practice before the federal courts of the fourth, fifth and eleventh circuits, as well as the United States Supreme Court. She was a member of the Lawyers' Club of Atlanta, the American, Atlanta, Georgia and Florida Bar Associations and the American College of Healthcare attorneys. During her years of practice, she served on many practice related committees and programs and was editor-in-chief of the Georgia Labor Letter from 1995 through 2000. Ms. Perrin was listed continuously beginning in 1993 in The Best Lawyers in America and was a fellow in the prestigious College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. During her life, she served on many civic, community and non-profit boards of directors. She was devoted to St. Luke's Episcopal Church and laughingly said she had served in every capacity from Senior Warden to third class gardener. At the time of her death, she was president of the Board of Trustees of the Park at St. Luke's. Martha's greatest joy, however, was her family. Her husband, Walter, was a tireless, great humored, genuine and devoted partner and friend. Her sons, Catesby and David, were the source of her endless delight and pride. She often reminded them that she considered being their mother the greatest of privileges.

Daniel King Royer
Daniel King Royer, 82, of St. Augustine, died March 8, 2004, at his home. He was born Jan. 26, 1922, in Labelle, and had lived in St. Augustine (Picolata) since 1982.

Kristeen Elaine Ireland
Kristeen Elaine Ireland, 49 passed away March 9, 2004, at home with her family at her side, after a two year battle with cancer. She was born July 15, 1954, in Mechanicsville, Iowa. Her family moved to South Florida in 1957, where she resided until 1985, when she moved to St. Augustine.

Perspective:On the right: The impossible reform
From all ideological quarters, people are pushing and pulling in the matter of Social Security reform. The sheer steepness of any approach to reform is vivid in memory, the most humiliating example of which was the early attempt by Ronald Reagan, a few months after he took office. A draft proposal, embodying a few reforms, was whispered in the Senate, resulting not merely in defeat for the proposal, but in denunciation of its sponsor with a 960 vote.

Letter: Some thoughts on Haiti and 'Passion'
Editor: This happening in Haiti is nothing more than a rerun of 1991 when the president at that time committed troops to overthrow a rebellion at that time. Special forces "A" teams were sent in to persuade citizens to change their attitude. Also troops that were in flight were turned around and returned to base. Close but no cigar!

Letter: Touch screens need a paper trail
Editor: I feel this is a very important issue that needs to be addressed. This bill (HR2239) mandates a paper audit trail for every touch-screen voting machine in the country for the 2004 General Election.

Thumb's up -- no surgery for Sheffield
TAMPA -- Gary Sheffield got a thumb's up from a hand specialist Tuesday and will return to spring training instead of having surgery to repair a torn ligament.

Little Saint Joseph's flies high
PHILADELPHIA -- Practice was in full swing, Jameer Nelson leading a three-on-one fastbreak with Delonte West charging up the wing. A perfect picture of what makes Saint Joseph's run so well.

First amendment
POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. -- Catastrophe struck again for Flagler College at the national tournament.

UF's Roberson named to All-SEC team
ATLANTA -- Every now and then, Lawrence Roberts will drift back to that nightmarish summer at Baylor: a teammate killed, a former teammate charged, the shocking NCAA violations, the coach resigning in shame.

SAHS falls in baseball; Nease, Holland stay hot in softball
It was a heartbreaking last-inning loss for the St. Augustine High School baseball team, dropping a district contest to host Daytona Beach Seabreeze Wednesday, 3-2. The Yellow Jackets led 2-0 entering the seventh, but the Sandcrabs rallied with three runs, including two on the heels of an error, to emerge with the improbable win.

Moore has fractured neck; police investigating
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore will miss the rest of the season with a broken neck after a hit by Vancouver's Todd Bertuzzi that prompted a police investigation.

Kahne fits in quickly for a rookie
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- So this is what all the fuss was about. Kasey Kahne, stuck in the middle of a contentious tug-of-war last season between Ford Motor Co. and car owner Ray Evernham, has wasted no time proving he was well worth the fight.

Saints focused on the first
BRANSON, Mo. -- As glad as the Flagler College men's basketball team is to be back in Missouri for the NAIA Division II national tournament, the Saints don't want it to be anything like last year.

Off the Couch: Browns sign Garcia
BEREA, Ohio -- Jeff Garcia had the impossible task of following Joe Montana and Steve Young in San Francisco, so he's not too worried about replacing Tim Couch.

Maddux recharged with Cubs
MESA, Ariz. -- More than a decade has passed since Greg Maddux prepared for a baseball season out here.

Player postcard from Missouri...
Nothing but hills, mountains, and old fashioned country like stores and houses. Here we are in the midst of nowhere just me and my teammates, a bus driver and Bo Clark and company. We arrived here in Branson on a semi-late Monday afternoon trying to recover from a bus ride that I don't ever want to experience again.

Sapp unhappy about Tampa Bay's silence
TAMPA -- All's no longer quiet on the Warren front. After a week of silence, the agent for Tampa Bay defensive tackle Warren Sapp put the word out Tuesday that his client is ready to bolt the Buccaneers if the team doesn't get busy with a contract proposal.

Evacuation ends, rain slows fire in NE Fla
TAYLOR (AP) -- Firefighters got a brief respite Wednesday from a raging wildfire that swept through 34,000 acres of timber and swamp land and briefly threatened this Baker County community.

Florida will be competitive battle
MIAMI (AP) -- John Kerry won Florida's Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday, prevailing in a contest that was a foregone conclusion but considered the opening act in a state that will be the site of a competitive battle in the November election.

Haiti's new prime minister arrives to build new government
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Gerard Latortue, a former U.N. official chosen to lead Haiti out of political turmoil, returned from the United States on Wednesday to begin the arduous task of building a government. Loyalists of the former president said they wouldn't accept him.

Argentina reaches accord with IMF on $3.1 billion debt
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- Argentina and the International Monetary Fund reached an agreement Tuesday for the repayment of $3.1 billion owed to the global lender, a government official told The Associated Press.

Sharon, Qureia set summit date
JERUSALEM -- The Palestinian and Israeli prime ministers agreed in principle on a long-delayed summit next week, officials said Wednesday, a sign of diplomatic progress. But corrosive violence persisted, with Israeli forces killing six Palestinian militants in the West Bank.